To whom do you declare you are taking more than US$10,000 out of the US?
 

When coming in, it is obvious - on the form. When leaving, there is no departure procedure, no one to talk to - where do you go?

You have to file a Form 4790 and turn it into a Customs officer at your departure point.

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-prior/f4790--2002.pdf

Revised Form
 

That form has been revised and replaced by form 105, http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/ffc105.pdf

OP, are you Eliot Spitzer, by any chance?

Or perhaps Tony Montana?

Serious question- with the advent of plastic (and nowadays, there's anonymous, refillable debit cards), unless someone's going to the Middle Of Nowhere, is there any need to carry cash?

(I'm assuming that the OP has some very specific needs, but I just wonder if Joe Rich Traveler ever has to do this any more)

Yes, there are several legitimate business reasons for carrying cash. Here are two I can think of:

1. You are going to a hotel that only accepts cash. Yes, there are a few. A friend of mine used to go to one in Positano, Italy.

2. You are looking to buy some expensive things abroad, e.g. antiques, jewelry, and want to negotiate a better deal for cash. Note that you could typically not pull $25,000 out of an ATM, at least not my ATM. :)

Specific legitimate business needs - funds could be wired but if they end up not being used as intended, I'll have a bank account in another country I won't need and getting the funds back will add another layer of cost. US$ Travelers Checks will be perfectly fine for this reason.

Is there generally a CBP office / desk in the departure area of US international gateways?

"US$ Travelers Checks will be perfectly fine for this reason. "

Those count for the $10k too. You'd still need to file the form. The better question is what exactly do they do with it? The amount is also tied not tied to the rate of inflation. In another 10 or 15 years, it will start to be bothersome to more people. It's surprising that the tin foil hat wearers in the security forum aren't making 1000 posts on this every day given that the government is trying to control the movement of people and their money.

I know. That is why I asked about the form and who to give it to. I was responding to another post re: why I couldn't use a credit card, etc.

The argument is that most legitimate big money goes electronically these days -- that's also why there's no longer $500 or $1000 bills in circulation.

They do have some sort of an office in the departure area, but sometimes it can be hard to find. You can call the local office for how to find them.

Ironically, Spitzer might have gone undiscovered if he has just filled out the forms -- they'd probably have been filed away somewhere and forgotten. What triggered the Feds' notice was "construction", making smaller transactions to avoid the reporting limits, and also a request to take his name off the wire transactions. :rolleyes:

How would you know? The first time I ever thought it might be an issue was on the jetway in DTW when I was on my way to London on business. I was approached by some LEOs who flashed their badge at me and asked me where I was going, why and that kind of silly stuff. During questioning, they asked me how much money I was carrying. I said "It's none of your business". Then they asked me if I was carrying more than $10,000. I answered "No", as I wasn't. But even they didn't tell me what I would have had to do if I had more than $10,000.

Sometimes cash is the best even when you are not going to the middle of nowhere.

It'd be too late for you to do anything at that point. The money would be confiscated.

It may or may not be confiscated. It depends on how friendly the guys are and how the rest of the conversation went. But once "It's none of your business" has been said, chances are they are going to fry you.

When you check-in, there should be a sign. I might have taken a little more than $10,000 out of the country a number of years ago.

If they confiscate your money, you will need to provide proof that the money was yours (bank statements, wage slips etc) and then you will get it back minus a fine.